Le Jardin des Voix
For more than 20 years, Le Jardin des Voix has established itself as an exceptional nursery of talent, which has enabled to bring to the public’s attention the most promising young baroque singers of their generation.
The Les Arts Florissants Baroque Academy for young singers
Created in 2002 and directed by William Christie and Paul Agnew, this biennial academy is aimed at young opera singers at the beginning of their careers. At the end of three weeks of intensive work, the laureates are invited to take part in a production that is taken on an international tour. This experience encourages their professional integration and enables them to perform on the greatest stages, whilst building a loyal relationship with Les Arts Florissants.
new talents since 2002, coming from 18 different countries
weeks of residency in Thiré
international concert tours
"Le Jardin des Voix has given me the joy of seeing new generations of singers emerge as passionate interpreters and advocates of the Baroque repertoire. Many now perform regularly, in concert or in opera houses, alongside the most experienced specialists in this music."
William Christie, Co-Musical Director and Founder of Les Arts Florissants
"One of the key words in the Jardin des Voix approach is experience: we bring together singers with little experience and professionals who have plenty of experience in a wide variety of fields."
Paul Agnew, Co-Musical Director of Les Arts Florissants

"Le Jardin des Voix is an exceptional and out of the ordinary experience, which has been vital to my career. (...) For me, it is the best school, the school of life as a musician, and to be part of this garden is also to enter a family which today is fundamental and without which I could not see myself living."
Léa Desandre, , laureate of the 7th edition (2015)
Online exhibition:
All editions of Le Jardin des Voix
For this 12th edition :
- 127 applications
- 6 days of audition in London, New York, Madrid and Paris
- 10 laureates of 6 different nationalities
2 nouvelles productions seront créées :
- Les Arts Florissants by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, under the direction of William Christie (premiere at the Festival Dans les Jardins de William Christie 2025)
- Il giardino di rose by Alessandro Scarlatti, under the direction of Paul Agnew (premiere at the Festival de Printemps - Les Arts Florissants 2026)
For this 11th edition :
- 169 applications received (29 nationalities)
- 6 days of auditions in London, New York and Paris
- 8 laureates from 6 different countries
Auditioned in Paris, London and New York, the 6 young laureate singers of the 10th Jardin des Voix have been selected to participate in a new production of Handel’s opera Partenope conducted by William Christie & Paul Agnew and semi-staged by Sophie Daneman:
Following a selection process conducted in several countries and open to candidates from all over the world, the six winners of the 8th edition of Jardin des Voix were selected in the spring of 2016.
On completion of a selection process end of 2013 after auditions in Vienna, London, Paris and New York early in 2014, six winners were selected.
During the Academy, the six prize-winners work with a team that includes some of the most eminent professionals in the Baroque arena (singers, directors, music historians, artistic staff, language specialists, etc.) who share theoretical and practical knowledge in their field.
At the end of a fortnight of intensive work, the singers, accompanied by the orchestra of Les Arts Florissants under the direction of William Christie and of Paul Agnew, demonstrate their mastery of this repertoire to audiences at leading international concert halls, with the program Un Jardin à l'italienne.